PIC

Fairy Meadows

Fairy Meadows (Urdu: پریوں کا چراگا), named by German climbers (German Märchenwiese, “fairy tale meadows”)and locally known as Joot, is a grassland near one of the base camp sites of the Nanga Parbat, located in Diamer District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.At an altitude of about 3,300 metres (10,800 ft) above sea level, it serves as the launching point for trekkers summiting on the Rakhiot face of the Nanga Parbat.In 1995, the Government of Pakistan declared Fairy Meadows a National Park.

LOCATION

Fairy Meadows is approachable by a fifteen kilometer-long jeepable trek starting from Rakhiot bridge on Karakoram Highway to the village Tato.The dangerous and narrow gravel mountain road from the bridge to the village is only open to locals, who provide transportation to visitors. In 2013, the World Health Organization declared it the second-deadliest road on the planet.From Tato onward, it takes about three to four hours hiking by a five kilometer trek to Fairy Meadows.The grassland is located in the Rakhiot valley, at one end of the Rakhiot glacier which originates from the Nanga Parbat and feeds a stream that finally falls in the River Indus.Since 1992, locals have operated camping sites in the area.